AMSTERDAM – Stellantis Ventures, the investment arm of Stellantis, focusing on funding startups with innovative technologies for the automotive and mobility sectors, announced it has invested in SteerLight, the developer of a new generation of high-performance LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensing technology.
The SteerLight LiDAR employs silicon photonics technology. This technology combines a universal semiconductor material with the speed of photons. It senses the surrounding environment in three dimensions with higher resolution and precision, and at a lower volume production cost, than currently available LiDAR systems.
The technology has the potential to give drivers of future Stellantis brand vehicles better performance. Moreover, this includes a variety of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including automated driving.
“A central aspect of our Dare Forward 2030 initiatives is identifying groundbreaking technologies. These technologies deliver substantial value to our customers on a large scale,” said Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering & Technology Officer. “Automated driving enhancements remain a top priority at Stellantis. Moreover, the game-changing work at SteerLight can enable enhanced and widespread ADAS applications.”
“We see a great benefit from having Stellantis’ corporate venture fund recognize our innovation. This recognition allows us to unlock large-scale adoption of LiDAR for industrial and mobility applications,” said François Simoens, co-founder and CEO of SteerLight. “Our new LiDAR technology is key to support new services in the automotive industry. Moreover, we are looking forward to working together to advance the next generation of vehicles.”
SteerLight, a spinoff of the French CEA-Leti technology center, employs Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR. It is based on silicon photonics technology that puts the system on a microchip. The system is robust (no moving parts) and compact, maximizing flexibility for vehicle engineers. Moreover, it overcomes challenges of today’s LiDAR technology for vehicles – component size and high cost. The FMCW technology provides highly accurate depth and velocity data while resisting interference from the surrounding environment and other users.
Since its inception in 2022, Stellantis Ventures has invested in 12 startups. Additionally, it has invested in one mobility fund, focusing on developing cutting-edge technologies that will improve outcomes for individual customers and society as a whole.
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